Amanda Selk went into labour for all three of her children at 39 weeks. They were easy deliveries?uncomplicated and under eight hours. The only major difference was that for the last two, she chose to be induced. ?I was done being pregnant. I?m five foot two and teeny-tiny, and I didn?t want my babies to get bigger,? she says. ?I know the literature and I felt it was reasonable.?
Numerous studies have shown that at 39 weeks (which might sound like a week early but is sometimes considered full term) babies transition better to the world. ?They feed well, they have fewer breathing issues from water to air. It?s just a good week,? says Selk, who is also an OB/GYN at Women?s College Hospital in Toronto.
Beyond 40 weeks, there are increased risks, including low amniotic fluid and having larger-than-average babies, which can increase the risk of a Caesarean section. So should all women be induced at 39 weeks" Well, it?s complicated and not everyone agrees. What the research says about inducing labour
Historically, it was feared that induction increased the risk of C-section. But in 2018, the largest study on the topic, the ARRIVE trial (which stands for ?a randomized trial of induction vs expectant management), which included 6,000 low-risk first-time mothers, found that while there was no difference in the number of stillbirths with elective induction at 39 weeks, the rate of C-sections was much lower for the induced group (18.6 percent) compared with the non-induced group ...